Air-launchable aircraft and method of use

ABSTRACT

An air-launched aircraft includes deployable wings, elevons, and vertical fins that deploy from a fuselage during flight. The aircraft may include a control system for operating the elevons, a communication system, and batteries for powering the systems. In addition, the aircraft may include a payload module that mates with an interface in the fuselage. The payload module may include any of a variety of payloads, including cameras, sensors, and/or radar emitters. The aircraft may be powered or unpowered, and may be very small, for example, less than on the order of 10 kg (22 pounds). The aircraft may be employed at a low cost for any of a wide variety of functions, such as surveillance, or as a decoy. The deployable surfaces of the aircraft may be configured to deploy in a pre-determined order, allowing the aircraft automatically to enter controlled flight after being launched in a tumbling mode.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/542,612, filed Feb. 7, 2004, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention relates generally to unmanned aircraft or air vehicles.

2. Description of Related Art

There has been increasing use of pilotless drone aircraft for certainmilitary missions, such as missions in hostile environments. Althoughthe use of pilotless aircraft has certain advantages, principal of whichis the elimination of threat to human life, such pilotless drones arestill costly to build and operate, since they must contain essentiallyall of the systems of a regular aircraft. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that it would be desirable to reduce the cost and increasethe flexibility of such systems, at least in the performance of somemissions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention, an air-launched aircraftincludes: a fuselage; deployable wings that are coupled to the fuselage;and deployable control surfaces that are coupled to the fuselage. Theaircraft has a total weight of less than about 20 kg (44 pounds).

According to another aspect of the invention, a method of deploying anair-launched aircraft, includes the steps of: launching the aircraft ina tumbling flight regime; and bringing the aircraft into acontrolled-flight regime by deploying control surfaces andlift-producing surfaces of the aircraft in a predetermined order.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the inventioncomprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexeddrawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of theinvention. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few ofthe various ways in which the principles of the invention may beemployed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description of theinvention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In the annexed drawings, which are not necessarily to scale:

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of an aircraft in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the aircraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the aircraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of functional parts of the fuselage of theaircraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an oblique exploded view showing components of a wingdeployment system of the aircraft of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6-9 are oblique views showing steps in the deployment of thewings, utilizing the wing deployment system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an oblique cutaway view showing components of an elevondeployment system of the aircraft of FIG. 1, with the elevons in astowed configuration;

FIG. 11 is an oblique cutaway view of the elevon deployment system ofthe aircraft of FIG. 10, with the elevons in a deployed configuration;

FIGS. 12-15 are oblique views showing steps in the deployment of theelevons, utilizing the elevon deployment system of FIGS. 10 and 11;

FIGS. 16-18A are oblique views showing steps in the deployment of thevertical fins of the aircraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 18B is an oblique view showing details of a locking mechanism offor the vertical fins;

FIG. 19 is an oblique view showing one configuration of a payload modulethat configured for use as part of the aircraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 is an oblique view showing another configuration of a payloadmodule that configured for use as part of the aircraft of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 21-23 are oblique views showing steps in the launch of theaircraft of FIG. 1 from a launch canister;

FIG. 24 is an oblique view showing one application of the aircraft ofFIG. 1, with the aircraft coupled to an airplane; and

FIG. 25 is an oblique view showing another application of the aircraftof FIG. 1, with the aircraft coupled to a missile.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An air-launched aircraft includes deployable wings, elevons, andvertical fins that deploy from a fuselage during flight. The aircraftmay include a control system for operating the elevons, a communicationsystem, and batteries for powering the control and communicationsystems. In addition, the aircraft may include a payload module thatmates with an interface in the fuselage. The payload module may includeany of a variety of payloads, including cameras, sensors, and/or radaremitters. The aircraft may be powered or unpowered, and may be verysmall, for example, less than on the order of 10 kg (22 pounds). Theaircraft may be employed at a low cost for any of a wide variety offunctions, such as surveillance, or as a decoy. The functions of theaircraft may be fulfilled during its flight, and/or after landing on theground or other surface. The deployable surfaces of the aircraft may beconfigured to deploy in a pre-determined order, allowing the aircraftautomatically to enter controlled flight after being launched in atumbling mode.

Turning initially to FIGS. 1-3, an aircraft 10 has a fuselage 12 thathas a payload module 14 coupled to it at a forward end 15 of the payloadmodule 14. The aircraft 10 has a number of deployable surfaces that maybe deployed during flight to produce lift and/or to control flight ofthe aircraft 10. These surfaces include a pair of wings 16 and 18, apair of elevons 20 and 22, and a pair of vertical fins 26 and 28.

The wings 16 and 18 provide lift for maintaining the flight of theaircraft 10. As best seen in FIG. 2, the wings 16 and 18 may be cantedupward, having a dihedral angle F as they slope up and away from thefuselage 12. Having upward-canted wings helps maintain stability in thefuselage 12. Once deployed, wings 16 and 18 may be held fixed in placerelative to the fuselage 12.

All of the control of the aircraft 10 may be provided by the elevons 20and 22, which are mounted on an aft end 30 of the fuselage 12. It willbe appreciated that having the elevons 20 and 22 be the only controlsurfaces on the aircraft 10 does place some limits on themaneuverability of the aircraft 10. However, by keeping the number ofmovable control surfaces to a minimum, cost, weight, and complexity ofthe aircraft 10 may be reduced.

The vertical fins 26 and 28 provide directional stability for theaircraft 10. As described in greater detail below, the vertical fins 26and 28 are hinged where they join to the fuselage 12. Spring forces areused to deploy the fins 26 and 28 during flight, and to mechanicallylock the fins 26 and 28 into place. The elevons 20 and 22 and thevertical fins 26 and 28 are collectively referred to herein as “tailsurfaces.”

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of possible interior structures of thefuselage 12. The fuselage 12 may have a control system 38 that isoperatively coupled to elevon actuators 40 and 42 that are used to tiltthe elevons 20 and 22 to control flight of the aircraft 10. The controlsystem 38 may include such devices as an inertia guidance system and aglobal positioning system (GPS). The controller or control system 38also may be coupled to an electric motor 46, which may be used to turn apropeller 48. The propeller 48 may be located on the aft end 30 of thefuselage, in order to provide powered flight to the aircraft 10. It willbe appreciated that the electric motor 46 and the propeller 48 may beoptional, in that they may be excluded altogether, making the aircraft10 a glider that flies unpowered. Thus, the aircraft 10 may engage ineither unpowered or powered flight.

A battery 50 provides power to the elevon actuators 40 and 42, the motor46, and the control system 38. The battery 50 may also be used forproviding power to a communication system 52 and a data collection andstorage system 54. The battery 50 may include a variety of suitablelightweight batteries, such as nickel metal hydride batteries. Thecommunication system 52, which may be coupled to the control system 38and/or the data control system 54, may be used to communicate withsystems outside of the aircraft 10. For instance, the communicationsystem 52 may be used to communicate with ground bases, other aircraft,ships, satellites, or other suitable objects. The communication system52 may be used for sending or receiving data of any of a wide variety oftypes. For example, the communication system 52 may be used to receivedata regarding control of the aircraft 10, for instance, by sendinginstructions or course information regarding a destination of theaircraft 10. Also, the communication system 52 may be used for sendinginformation, such as information regarding the location of the aircraft10, information regarding sensor readings perceived by the aircraft 10,and/or information from photographs taken by the aircraft 10. Datareceived and/or to be sent by the communication system 52 may be storedin the data system 54.

The fuselage 12 includes an interface 60 on the forward end 15 of thefuselage 12. The interface 60 may include a mechanical interface 64 forcoupling the payload module 14 (FIG. 1) to the fuselage 12. Themechanical interface 64 may include any of a variety of types ofsuitable mechanical interfaces. As one example, the mechanical interface64 may include a plurality of threaded holes for aligning with holes ofthe payload module 14, and for receiving threaded fasteners such asbolts for coupling the payload module 14 to the fuselage 12. It will beappreciated that a wide variety of other types of mechanical couplingsmay be utilized.

The interface 60 may also include a data interface 66 and an electricalinterface 68. The data interface may be coupled to the data system 54for receiving and/or transmitting data from the data system 54 to thepayload module 14. The electrical interface 68 may be coupled to thebattery 50, so as to provide electrical power to the payload module 14.

The aircraft 10 may have a wingspan from about 10 cm to about 2.4 m(about 4 to 96 inches). The weight of the aircraft 10 may be less thanabout 20 kg (44 pounds), may be less than about 5 kg (11 pounds), andmay be less than about 2 kg (4.4 pounds). It will be appreciated that asmall size and weight may be useful in allowing the aircraft 10 to bedeployed from a variety of launch platforms, for example, manylightweight copies of the aircraft 10 may be stored aboard a singlelarge aircraft, for dispersion one at a time or in groups. Also, thesmall size and/or light weight of the aircraft 10 may facilitate itsbeing placed aboard relatively small other types of aircraft, such asmissiles.

It will be appreciated that the center of gravity of the aircraft 10 maybe controlled to help maintain stability of the aircraft. For example,the center of gravity of the aircraft 10 may be located between thewings 16 and 18.

The aircraft 10 may have an ability to maintain flight for about 30 to60 minutes at an altitude of approximately 9,100 meters (30,000 feet).However, it will be appreciated that the aircraft 10 may have otherperformance attributes.

FIG. 5 illustrates a wing deployment system 70 for the wing 16 from astowed position to a deployed position. It will be appreciated that asimilar wing deployment system may be utilized for deploying the wing18, and in fact, the deployment systems may be considered a singledeployment system for deploying both of the wings 16 and 18.

The wing 16 has an attached shaft 72. The shaft 72 is not in generalperpendicular to the wing 16, but rather is angled relative to the wing16, such that rotation of the shaft 72 about its axis shifts the wingfrom a stowed position, in contact with and parallel to the top of thefuselage 12, to a deployed position, at the dihedral angle ┌ (FIG. 2).

A drive spring 76 may employ both torsion and compression forces todeploy the wing 16. The drive spring 76 fits around the shaft 72. Oneend of the drive spring 76 engages the hole 78 in a stepped portion 80of the shaft 72. The other end of the drive spring 76 engages a hole ina recess 84 into which the drive spring 76 and the shaft 72 are placed.The end of the drive spring 76 may engage a bearing or other hardenedportion, instead of directly engaging the fuselage 12 within the recess84.

The wing deployment system 70 may be configured such that the deploymentof the wing 16 occurs automatically upon launch of the aircraft 10. Thatis, while in the stowed position, the wing 16 may be restrained only bya launch container which the aircraft is in. Once the aircraft 10emerges from the launch container, there may be no force that constrainsthe wing 16 from turning about an axis of its shaft 72, under theinfluence of the drive spring 76 which is under torsion within therecess 84, while the wing 16 is in the stowed position.

Upon the wing 16 reaching its deployed position, the spring 76 may drawthe shaft 72 deeper into the recess 84, engaging a locking mechanism tolock the wing 16 in place in its deployed position. The lockingmechanism may include any of a variety of suitable mechanical lockingmechanisms, such as engagement of a protrusion or pin on one part with acorresponding recess on another part. It will be appreciated that theremay be more than one wing position lock for locking the wings 16 and 18in different positions. For example, there may be a first wing lock thattemporarily locks the wings 16 and 18 in an intermediate position,between the stowed position and the deployed position, for obtaininginitial stability of the aircraft 10 upon launch. Later, this first wingposition lock may be overcome, with the wings 16 and 18 progressing totheir fully deployed position, and being locked into place there by asecond position lock. The first wing position lock may be disengaged byany of a variety of suitable mechanisms, electro-mechanical or purelymechanical mechanisms, which may be controlled either electronicallyand/or mechanically.

Further details regarding use of a torsion spring to deploy a wing byrotation about a single axis may be found in co-owned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/043870, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIGS. 6-9 show a progression of deployment of the wings 16 and 18, froma stowed position (FIG. 6) to a fully deployed position (FIG. 9). FIGS.7 and 8 show the wings 16 and 18 in partially deployed positions. Asnoted above, intermediate locking mechanisms may be used to temporarilylock the wings 16 and 18 in the partially deployed positions.

FIG. 10 shows an elevon deployment system 100 for deploying the elevons20 and 22. The elevons 20 and 22 deploy from inside slots 110 and 112 inthe fuselage 12. The elevons 20 and 22 are deployed through use oftension springs 114 and 116. At one end, the springs 114 and 116 arefixedly coupled to the fuselage 12, with hooks 120 and 122 of thesprings 114 and 116 engaging pins 124 and 126 of the fuselage 12. Thesprings 114 and 116 pass around pivot pins 127 and 128, and the far endsof the springs have hooks 130 and 132 that engage respective holes 134and 136 in bearings 140 and 142. The bearings 140 and 142 surroundrespective shafts 146 and 148 of the elevons 20 and 22. The shafts 146and 148 are fixable coupled to blades 150 and 152 of the elevons 20 and22.

Upon release of the aircraft 10 from a launch tube, tension in thesprings 114 and 116 pulls on the holes 134 and 136 in the bearings 140and 142. This rotates the elevon shafts 146 and 148 about respectivepins 156 and 158 that rotationally couple the elevons 20 and 22 toactuator shafts 160 and 162 that are actuated by the servo-actuators 40and 42.

Once the elevons 20 and 22 are fully deployed, as illustrated in FIG.11, the bearings 140 and 142, and/or the elevon shafts 146 and 148, aremechanically locked to the actuator shafts 160 and 162. The elevons 20and 22 may then be actuated by the servo-actuators 40 and 42. Theservo-actuators 40 and 42 cause the actuator shafts 160 and 162 torotate. The actuator shafts 160 and 162 in turn are mechanically lockedwith the elevon shafts 146 and 148, so movement of the actuator shafts160 and 162 causes the elevons 20 and 22 to rotate, allowing maneuver ofthe aircraft 10.

FIGS. 12-15 show steps in the deployment of the elevons 20 and 22. FIG.12 shows the deployed configuration, with the elevon 22 in the slot 112.FIGS. 13 and 14 show the elevon 22 partially deployed. It will beappreciated that the elevons 20 and 22 are not rotatable to control theaircraft 10 while in the partially deployed position shown in FIGS. 13and 14, due to portions of the elevon blades 150 and 152 still remainingin the respective slots 110 and 112. FIG. 15 shows the elevon 22 fullydeployed, and able to be actuated by the elevon actuator 42 (FIGS. 10and 11). The elevon shafts may be held in the opened position by thedeployment spring and aerodynamic forces.

It will be appreciated that other sorts of elevon deployment systems maybe used as an alternative to the elevon deployment system 100 shown inFIGS. 10 and 11 and described above. For example, electrical or othermechanical forces may be used to deploy the elevons 20 and 22. However,it will be appreciated that the elevon deployment system 100 describedabove has the virtues of simplicity and light weight. In addition, itwill be appreciated that it is advantageous to have a deployment systemthat does not require use of aircraft power.

FIGS. 16-18B illustrate deployment of the vertical fins 26 and 28. Thefins 26 and 28 are hingably coupled to the fuselage 12 at hinges 176 and178. A fin deployment system 180 includes a pair of torsion-compressionsprings 186 and 188 that are used to rotate the fins 26 and 28 relativeto the fuselage 12, from a stowed position to a deployed position. Oncethe fins 26 and 28 are in the deployed position, compression forces inthe springs 186 and 188 engage rotation locks, locking the fins 26 and28 in their deployed position. One end of each of the springs 186 and188 is fixedly attached to the fuselage 12. The other end is fixedlyattached to the fins 26 and 28, at or near the hinges 176 and 178. Thesprings 186 and 188 are configured such that there is a torsional forceupon the fins 26 and 28 when the fins are in the stowed position. Oncethe fins 26 and 28 are free to move, such as when the aircraft 10 exitsa storage container or launcher, the torsion forces from the springs 186and 188 act upon the vertical fins 26 and 28 to begin rotation of thefin, as is illustrated in FIG. 17. These torsion forces continue to actupon the vertical fins 26 and 28 until the fins reach their fullydeployed position, illustrated in FIG. 18A. Once the fins 26 and 28reach their fully deployed position, the fins 26 and 28 encounterrotation stops that prevent further rotation of the fins 26 and 28.Thereafter, compression forces in the springs 186 and 188 force thevertical fins 26 and 28 aftward along the hinges 176 and 178, causingthe vertical fins 26 and 28 to engage mechanical stops that maintainthem in their deployed position. FIG. 18B shows details of the lockingmechanism that maintains the fin 28 in the deployed position.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show a pair of possible configurations for the payloadmodule 14. As stated earlier, the payload module 14 includes any of avariety of devices, such as sensors, cameras, or radar emitters. Thepayload module 14 may be configured to mate with the interface 60 (FIG.4), thus conforming to mechanical, electrical and/or data interfacerequirements of the fuselage 12. In addition, the payload module 14 maybe configured to conform to certain requirements, such as fitting withinpredetermined dimensionable boundaries, and being within predeterminedparameters for weight and location of center of gravity.

Turning now to FIGS. 21-23, the aircraft 10 may be launched from acontainer or launch canister 200. When initially launched, the wings 16and 18, the elevons 20 and 22, and the vertical fins 26 and 28 are allin a stowed configuration. The aircraft 10 may be air-launchable insubstantially any orientation relative to the flight of the platform(aircraft or missile) from which it is launched. The initial tumblingmode of flight may be a desirable feature in the launch of the aircraft10. This is because the initial velocity of the aircraft 10 when airlaunched (for example, from about Mach 0.8 to Mach 0.95) may be so greatthat it would cause damage to the deployable surfaces if they were intheir fully deployed positions. A period of tumbling during thedeployment may allow the aircraft 10 to slow sufficiently such that thecontrol and lift-producing surfaces are not damaged when they reach fulldeployment. Put another way, initially launching the aircraft 10 in atumbling mode of flight allows the lift-producing and control surfacesto be made lighter and less robust, because they encounter less stress.

In one possible sequence of events, the aircraft may be initiallylaunched in the tumbling configuration. As the tumbling slows theaircraft 10, the vertical fins 26 and 28 may be deployed. Deployment ofthe vertical fins 26 and 28 may aid in slowing down or stopping spinningof the aircraft 10 during the tumbling.

Following deployment of the vertical fins 26 and 28, the elevons 20 and22 may be deployed to further stop the spin, and to bring the aircraft10 into a nose down position.

Following deployment of the tail surfaces, and bringing the aircraft 10into a nose down position, the wings 16 and 18 may be partially or fullydeployed to bring the aircraft 10 into stable, controlled flight. Thewings 16 and 18 may be deployed in two stages, with a partialdeployment, such as in FIG. 7 or 8, done first, followed by a fulldeployment of the wings 16 and 18 to the configuration shown in FIG. 9.

As described above, then, the deployment process of the aircraft 10undergoes three basic regimes of flight: 1) tumbling, to initially slowdown the aircraft 10 prior to full deployment of the lift-producing andcontrol surfaces; 2) deployment of tail surfaces to stop spinning of theaircraft 10, and to bring the aircraft 10 into a nose-downconfiguration; and 3) deployment of the wings 16 and 18 to position theaircraft 10 into stable flight. It will be appreciated that thetransition may involve different regimes of flight, and/or differentorders of deployment of the various lift-producing and control surfaces.For example, partial deployment of the wings 16 and 18 may occur duringthe deployment of the vertical fins 26 and 28, and/or the elevons 20 and22.

It will be appreciated that the order of deployment of thelift-producing and control surfaces may be controlled in any of avariety of suitable ways. For example, clamps may be used to hold backcertain of the lift-producing and control surfaces from immediatedeployment. Suitable actuators, such as suitable electro-mechanicalactuators, may be used to control deployment of the lift-producing andcontrol surfaces. Alternatively or in addition, the lift-producing andcontrol surfaces may be configured on the aircraft 10 in such positionsas to control their deployment.

FIG. 24 shows one possible application of the aircraft 10. As shown inthe figure, an airplane 220 has multiple of the aircraft 10 mountedthereupon or therewithin. The aircraft 10 may be launched individuallyor groups from the airplane 220 for any of a variety of purposes. Theaircraft may be mounted in any of a variety of suitable places on theairplane 220. For example, as shown, the aircraft 10 may be configuredto launch from their launch canisters 200 in a sideways direction,relative to the airplane 220. The launch canisters 200 may bemechanically coupled to a fuselage 224 of the airplane 220. The aircraft10 may be launched as decoys, for gathering data in the air or on theground utilizing cameras and/or other sensors, or may be used to emitradar signals or other signals, either in the air or on the ground.

FIG. 25 shows another possible use for the aircraft 10. As shown, thelaunch canister 200 of a camera-equipped aircraft 10 is mounted to amissile 240, such as a cruise missile. During flight of the missile 240,as the missile 240 nears its target, the aircraft 10 is launched fromthe canister 200. After the missile 240 has impacted its target, theaircraft 10 may be used to take a picture of the target area, andtransmit it back to a receiving station (which may be ground based, airbased, or sea based) to provide information regarding the target'scondition.

In summary, the present invention provides a small, lightweight, and lowcost aircraft which may be air launched for use in any of a variety ofsuitable missions. The aircraft may be flexible, in that the modularpayloads can be used to configure it for any of a variety of missions.The aircraft may be cheap and easily expendable, allowing large numbersto be utilized for dangerous missions, such as gathering data in hostileenvironments.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to acertain preferred embodiment or embodiments, it is obvious thatequivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled inthe art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and theannexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functionsperformed by the above described elements (components, assemblies,devices, compositions, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a“means”) used to describe such elements are intended to correspond,unless otherwise indicated, to any element which performs the specifiedfunction of the described element (i.e., that is functionallyequivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosedstructure which performs the function in the herein illustratedexemplary embodiment or embodiments of the invention. In addition, whilea particular feature of the invention may have been described above withrespect to only one or more of several illustrated embodiments, suchfeature may be combined with one or more other features of the otherembodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given orparticular application.

1. An air-launched aircraft comprising: a fuselage; deployable wingsthat are coupled to the fuselage; and deployable control surfaces thatare coupled to the fuselage; wherein the aircraft has a total weight ofless than 20 kg (44 pounds); wherein the deployable control surfacesinclude elevons; wherein the elevons constitute substantially all of thedeployable control surfaces; wherein the elevons are aft of the wings;and wherein the elevons deploy from slots in the fuselage.
 2. Theaircraft of claim 1, further including a pair of deployable verticalfins that are coupled to the fuselage.
 3. The aircraft of claim 1,further comprising springs within the fuselage that rotate the elevonsfrom a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration.
 4. The aircraftof claim 1, wherein the wings are upwardly canted.
 5. The aircraft ofclaim 4, wherein the wings are configured to deploy from a stowedposition by single-axis rotation about respective shafts of the wings.6. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising vertical fins hingedlycoupled to the fuselage.
 7. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein theaircraft is an unpowered glider.
 8. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein theaircraft is configured for powered flight, with the aircraft having abattery-powered propeller coupled to the fuselage.
 9. The aircraft ofclaim 8, wherein the propeller is mounted to an aft end of the fuselage.10. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the aircraft has a total weight ofless than 5 kg (11 pounds).
 11. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein theaircraft has a total weight of less than 2 kg (4.4 pounds).
 12. Theaircraft of claim 1, wherein the control surfaces are operativelycoupled to a control system that is in the fuselage.
 13. The aircraft ofclaim 1, further comprising a payload module coupled to the fuselage.14. The aircraft of claim 13, wherein the fuselage includes a payloadinterface for coupling the payload to the fuselage; and wherein thepayload interface includes a data interface and an electrical interface.15. The aircraft of claim 13, wherein the payload module includes aradar emitter.
 16. The aircraft of claim 13, wherein the payload moduleincludes a sensor.
 17. The aircraft of claim 13, wherein the payloadmodule includes a camera.
 18. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein thefuselage includes: a power supply; a control system that is operativelycoupled to the power supply and the control surfaces; and acommunication system that is coupled to the power supply.
 19. Theaircraft of claim 18, wherein the power supply includes at least onebattery.
 20. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the elevons aresingle-piece planar control surfaces that tilt in their entiretyrelative to the fuselage.
 21. The aircraft of claim 20, furthercomprising elevon actuators within the fuselage that are operativelycoupled to the elevons to tilt the elevons.
 22. The aircraft of claim21, wherein the elevon actuators are mechanically coupled to elevonshafts of the elevons, to rotate the elevons about the elevon shafts.23. The aircraft of claim 22, wherein the elevon actuators includeactuator shafts that are coupled to the elevon shafts by pins.
 24. Theaircraft of claim 23, further comprising an elevon deployment system fordeploying the elevons from the slots; wherein the elevon deploymentsystem includes springs for deploying the elevons by rotating the elevonshafts relative to the actuator shafts, about the pins.